In the NEWS and EVENTS

.:: May 11/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Invitation to speak at the Annual General Meeting of Hillside Estates condominium towers downtown. Once again the presentation was similar to previous ones given, with a bit more emphasis placed on our activities in the area. Also touched on our involvement with the Downtown Collaboration Group which is part of Responsible Hospitality Edmonton and is tasked with making the environment in and around some of the inner city hotels safer for staff, patrons, and the public. The meeting was attended by four members and we patrolled downtown before and after this meeting.

.:: April 16/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Invitation to speak to the Lions Club at the Royal Glenora Club. The presentation was quite similar to the ones given to the Rotary and Canadian Clubs with the focus was on the history and philosophy of the Guardian Angels, the status of the Edmonton Chapter, training and patrol procedures, and the high level of support from the public on the street. Thanked by several Lions Club members afterwards.

.:: April 1/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Chapter Leader met at our headquarters with Irene.L and Sheilagh.T. They were doing research for a class paper covering the Guardian Angels for their Community Practices course in the Social Work program at Grant McEwan College. Both are working towards their Registered Social Work accreditation. It was a pleasure to meet with two ladies striving to make a difference in their communities. Irene for example, works with the The Calgary Urban Planning Society. The CUPS program works with the front line street population.

.:: March 11/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Invitation to speak at the Canadian Club luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe. The presentation was similar to the one given on January 14 to the Rotary Club. It was good to see the young students who were attending with their teachers and expanding their awareness of the city and the world in which they live. We greatly appreciated the invitation to speak to an organization that has had numerous distinguished speakers including: Chief Boyd Edmonton Police Service, Senator Tommy Banks, Dr. Herb Belcourt Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Pierre Berton, Dr. Paul Byrne President of Grant McEwan College, Hon. Lois Hole former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta , Hon. Peter Lougheed former Premier of Alberta, RCMP Commissioner J.P.R. Murray, Dr. Indira Samaresekera U of A President, Hon. Ed Stelmach Premier of Alberta, and Hon. Al Wachowich Associate Chief Justice Alberta. Our members were approached by several people afterwards who thanked us for the work we are doing and offered encouragement and support.

.:: March 07/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Guardian Angels did a presentation at the U of A “Ideafest”. Three different rooms each had numerous presentations by various speakers on a wide variety of topics throughout the day. The organizers are to be commended for putting this event together.

.:: February 07/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

The Edmonton Chapter traveled to Red Deer to meet with, and do a joint patrol with the Red Deer recruits to help raise awareness of the Guardian Angels. The response from the public on the street and people driving by is as positive as that experienced in Edmonton.

.:: January 23/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Chapter Leader was a guest on Pastor Bob's early morning radio program on AM 930 The Light. This lead to an invitation to attend a prayer meeting at Calvary Church in Millwoods that night. This prayer meeting was organized to support Law Enforcement, with several EPS members in attendance. Three Guardian Angels attended and went on patrol afterwards. We appreciated the offer to attend and being recognized at this event, and fully realize this event was organized to support the men and women of the Edmonton Police Service, who on a daily basis put their lives at risk to keep our community safe.

.:: January 14/09 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Chapter Leader and Assistant Chapter Leader met with Mayfield Rotary Club. We gave a presentation which was followed by a question and answer session. The presentation covered the history of the Guardian Angels, the formation and training of the Edmonton Chapter, and the positive working relationship with the Edmonton Police Service. It was pointed out that while the relationship is positive and works very well, this should not be seen as an official endorsement by EPS. We do understand that for legal and other reasons, giving an official endorsement is not possible. We are simply grateful for the relationship that exists and the fact it continues to get even better as time goes on. After the luncheon ended, several Rotary Club members spoke to both members and thanked them for the work being done by the Guardian Angels in the community. One Rotary Club member wanted to immediately have us meet with Pastor Bob in the West Edmonton Mall Chapel.

.:: November 24/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

4 members of the Edmonton Guardian Angels, along with perhaps 50 or more other people, attended a Krav Maga seminar put on by Moshe D. Katz , 4th Dan Black Belt and Head Instructor with Israeli Krav International. We greatly appreciated Moshe D. Katz traveling from Israel, the opportunity to train with him, and also to speak at length with him after the seminar about this unique and very effective martial art. Moshe D. Katz is a supporter of the Guardian Angels and once patrolled and trained with them after seeing them on the streets of New York City. If you are interested in learning more about Krav Maga, we encourage you to visit his website at www.your-krav-maga-expert.com.

.:: November 12/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Our Chapter Leader and Assistant Chapter Leader had been asked to attend a meeting of the Association of Edmonton Convention Hotels. We spoke about the history and philosophy of the Guardian Angels, our activities in Edmonton, the high level of support from Edmontonians and the positive working relationship with the Edmonton Police Service. This meeting in fact, resulted from a suggestion by a Downtown Division Constable who also attends the Downtown Collaboration Meetings.

.:: October 9/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Our Chapter Leader attended the Downtown Collaboration Meeting. This is a group chaired by EPS Sergeant Gary Godziuk who is the Public Safety Compliance Team Coordinator for Responsible Hospitality Edmonton. Many Edmontonians may not even be aware of the efforts of Sgt.Godziuk,his fellow officers in this group, Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, the Fire Department, and City of Edmonton Bylaw Enforcement. They are doing everything they can with the resources and manpower available to them to make the environments in and around the York, Grand, Mount Royal, Jasper Avenue Inn, and several other hotels safer for staff, patrons, as well as the general public. Management and staff of the hotels mentioned, also attend these meetings which take place several times throughout the year.

.:: October 5/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

3 Guardian Angels attended and participated in the "Homeless Connect" event at the Shaw Conference Center from 8:30 am to after 4 pm. This massive event was organized by Homeward Trust and the Canadian Mental Health Association. 500 homeless were expected and approximately 1300 showed up. A large number of volunteers were on hand to offer a wide variety of services, as well as clothing, and a hot meal.

.:: October 2/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

5 Guardian Angels handed out approx. 260 cards to inner city homeless people to help make them aware of the "Homeless Connect" event and encouraged them to attend.

.:: September 27/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Guardian Angel patrol members heard a crash, and across the street at the corner of 118 Ave and 42 St. saw a man lying motionless close to a bicycle. Rushing over, we called 911 immediately, after observing a large amount of bleeding from several facial injuries, one just below his left eye. An ambulance arrived almost immediately. As the two female attendants were attempting to assist the subject, he made inappropriate sexual comments, then became uncooperative, and then proceeded to become belligerent and abusive. After his request to stand up was granted by the attendants he tried to become physical. As two Guardian Angels had control of his arms he was unable to strike anyone. Throughout this process he was spraying blood from the mouth each time he yelled and swore. We sat him back down, held him firmly, and the attendants were able to secure a mask to his face to minimize the blood being sprayed. They radioed for police, but due to a number of very serious events occurring that Saturday night a car was not able to respond immediately. While waiting, we suggested to the attendants that if they wanted to take a stretcher out of the ambulance we had enough members to safely lift him onto it while maintaining control, allowing them to strap him down. This was swiftly done, and when the police arrived moments later he was already in the ambulance and had calmed down. The attendants had been able to treat his injuries safely, and he'd apologized to us for having been difficult and abusive. After briefly questioning the attendants, the two officers were able to leave and deal with more serious matters. This incident clearly showed the risks ambulance attendants are exposed to while in the process of assisting those requiring medical attention. They did thank us for our assistance, we were happy to have been able to help out.

.:: September 20/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Our Chapter Leader participated in a Ride-A-Long on Air 1 from 11:30pm to 1:30am. This was a result of a successful live auction bid he'd made at the Crystal Kids Street Dance and BBQ Fundraiser held earlier in the summer. Being in the air for only two hours that Saturday night, I was shocked at the amount of criminal activity and situations requiring a police response that occurred in that short time frame. I doubt that Edmontonians have a full understanding of how much the police have to deal with. It was interesting to observe first hand the coordination between Air 1, ground units, and dispatch. Members of the public also assisted at times reporting on drunk drivers they had observed or were following. For those people who may complain about police response times, they may not be fully aware of how many situations requiring a police response are actually occurring at any given time, especially during peak times.

.:: September 7/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

Guardian Angels from Edmonton and Calgary, along with a recruit from the new Red Deer Chapter attended an "Anti-Racism Rally" and the "Aaron Shoulders Walk for Justice", both of which were held in Calgary.

.:: August 31/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

A Global TV crew followed us for a portion of a downtown patrol. In addition to observing us on patrol, they interviewed a number of citizens who had approached us to thank us for being in their neighborhood.

.:: August 24/08 - EDMONTON GUARDIAN ANGELS ::..

An Edmonton Journal article in the very first sentence said the following "One year after the Guardian Angels announced plans to march onto Edmonton streets, the citizen-led crime patrol group says they've made the city safer". While we greatly appreciate the Journal's interest in covering a group that is doing what it can to help the community, I had to contact the reporter on Monday to ask how my response to her question had turned into the line printed. The interview had been taped and would verify my response to her question of "have the Guardian Angels made the city safer?. My response was very close to " I am realistic, I know the only difference we make is right where we are patrolling, right then and there...whatever happens several blocks away or hours after we are gone, we have no impact on". Also, the article stated "On Whyte Avenue, where the group says they patrol frequently, Hudsons on Whyte Manager Connor Gillen said he has never seen the Angels". I work five nights per week, so if anyone were to see them it would be me," he said. Well Connor can certainly be forgiven for not having seen us. Because what I had said to the reporter when asked what areas we've patrolled in "last fall we patrolled along Whyte Avenue a couple times". To her credit she did say that perhaps the word "frequently" should not have been used. In her defense, I should say that she did mention that an editor had also made some changes to what she'd originally written. Basically, I feel that the article did not accurately convey what was actually said.

The only reason I have gone on in such detail over this is because, as Chapter Leader I have always taken great care to never make comments to the media or anyone else that are arrogant or overstate our impact in this city. To suggest that a handful of Guardian Angels after a year have made the city safer would be the height of arrogance. I feel quite simply, that to even suggest this, is an insult to all the men and women of the Edmonton Police Service who put their lives on the line and are doing the best they can with the resources and manpower they are given. It's also an insult to all of the long established groups such as Neighborhood Watch, Neighborhood Foot Patrol, Citizens Radio Patrol Network, and many other volunteer organizations who commit countless hours to help make our community safer.

In addition to the activities listed above, our downtown patrols pick up needles dropped on the ground by addicts. At times we've picked up as many as 50 or more in one area. We've also intervened between groups who were on the verge of fighting and just needed a third party to intervene and allow them to disengage without losing face. In one situation where a larger individual did not want to disengage we placed ourselves between him and the smaller man until one of our members encouraged the smaller man to leave the scene. We learned later that this same individual (the larger man) may have pulled a knife on several motorcyclists hanging out at the Tim Hortons on Whyte Ave. A motorcyclist had stopped us on Whyte, and told us what had happened. Our members went to where the incident occurred, recovered the knife, and broke the blade. When we called police to advise them we recovered the knife and destroyed it, they said they'd gotten a report of the earlier incident when the knife had been pulled on the motorcyclists. We also stop to check on homeless people who may be laying out in the open. We check to make sure they haven't been beaten, stabbed or have had a medical situation. If temperatures are below freezing we'll call for help to prevent them from freezing to death.